Method of cleaning locomotive boilers and supplying water to refill the same



5mm. y 1925, 1,588,782

W. EE'TURDEVANT METHOD OF CLEANING LOCOMOTIVE BOILERS AND-SUPPLYING WATER TO REFILL THE SAME Filed May 5, 1926 Elli letenlccl Jone l5,

CHARLES STURDEVAXJT, @El' SAN FRANUZEWU,

METHOD l CLE,{;\.NING LOCOMQTIYE BOILER-S I THE Application filed May 5,

lheinvention relates to the cleaning and. refilling of loconwtive hoileie and has :i an object the provision of o processotl this character which aims to recover so for possible, without damage to the boiler, the heat units present in the boiler when it arrives in. a rounclhouse for servicing.

This; application is in. part :1 continuation oi my application for patent- Serial. Number 687,989, filed January 23, 1924:, for method of supplying;- water for filling locomotive boilers.

ll; is a further object vof, the invention toblow the steam from a. locomotive and con dense the steam at, the some time by the reduction of pressure, and, by the effect of the heel present, the locomotive as it orrives from's'erv'ice, to c'voporn it consideroble proportion of the water iniiiell'y liquid in the boiler. 1

i it is a further object of the invention to clean a hoilerrecovering as much as pos- .sihle of the water carriedofi as steam oncontezninoteil b 1 the sediment in the boiler enci to then wit drew the sediment from the boiler Without damage to the sheets of the boiler and in the shortest practicable space of time with the requirements in View.

Further objects of the invention will appear from the ifollowing description when read in connection with the dire wing showing on illustrative embodiment of the apparatus for carrying out the process and wherein the figure is a diagrammatic View 0. a loco- H1 hive, e receiver for collection ofthe steen i l ite eenclemotionv and connections for carwinp out the method.

on ehown, e locomotive is indicated at, l. housed in the mental manner and e receiver or holder for containing the supply oi. water for locomotives is shown at 2. This recs-i or is maintained at elniospheric pressure by openings, not shown, which are of such a size and location as toretain the steam distil;

ohargerl into the receiver. To dischorge steam into the receiver, an overhead pipe is shown at lending directly into the receiver end which may be (JOIIIIIlOIl to oil of the loco= motives which the ronndhoosc is adopted to receive 'llie steam dome, or the highest pm of the locomotive boiler is shown at l. A valve 5 is shown as permanently connected to the' 'steam dome which valve may be connected to the overhead pipe 3 by means ,pheric pressure, the water leg of the boilerli AND fiill'PllihYIhl'G VERMEER TO REFILL" 19cc. Scriol in. 196,993.

of e pipe fitting (3 through a drop line 7; The end. of pipe '7 is shown as provided with a valve 8. To permit, of attachment oi the locomotive to the discharge pipe even though the locomotive is not spotted exactly 00 thesznne in every instance, a flexible pipe connection is shown occurring between the valves and 8, a union 1O being provided to connect the flexible connectionfi with the valve 5. e, To return Water from the receiver to the boiler after the cleaning operation has been completed, a. pump ll is shown connected to the receiver 2 and having its dischargeconnected through. valve 12 and pipe li-lto 3 overhead pipe Ll, which letter pipe is also common to all of the locomotives which may he placed in the rounclhouse. l or connectionof pipele': to the locomotive al'icting 15 and a drop pipe were provided, on the,

end. of which letter pipe is located a valve v 17, i

To withdrew seiliment remainin f often 1. i 1 g ollG steam has been blown oown to atlnos- .4

is fitted in the usual manner with blow off 'alve '18 just. above the mud ring of the boiler. intermediate the valves .17 and a flexible pipe connection is profi'ided at 19, a. union being provided to join the connection '19 with the blow-off valve 18. The flexible connection 19 is provided for; the same purpose as flexible connection 9J0. enable connection to be made Willi the boiler even though not accnrotely spotted. Other,. connections 21 and are provided to con-lg. ncct other locomotives 0! sit-oils for the some to the overhead pipes referred io,,\vlie1 eby a number of locomotives can he serviced at the some time iVosh-out plugs located on both sides of the water legs of the boiler just above the mud ring; indicated at 23.

A defect in former provisions for blowing down and clezmiing loconnstive boilers has been that the steam has been blown oll' li'oin the bottom of the water legs of the boiler with the end in view of blowing out the sediment in the holler by means of steam pressure As :1 matter of practical operation when this process has been fol: lowed it has been necessary to wait from two to three hours after a locomotive is delivered to the rounclhouse for the locomotive to cool down. in order to uvoicl damage to the sheets of the fire box and boiler by lowering of the 310 water therein which exposes the metallic surfaces to the high temperature of the fire box without the protection of a water covering'. Other systems where-inthe steam has been blown off from the steam dome have injected cold water in the blow-off pipe resultin in the reduction of pressure in the blow-o pipe and a too sudden removal of the steam from the boiler also resulting in damage to the sheets of the boiler. The proc'- ess provided by the present invention avoids both of these defects by allowing the steam to blow oil into a receiver at substantially atmospheric pressure without hastening the blowing off of the steam by reduction of pressure in the blow-oil pipe. It is therefore possible by the present process to begin the blowing off of the steam immediately the locomotive is received, the time usually wasted in allowing the locomotive to cool bein utilized. in blowing down the steam. At t e same time the heat present in the fire box as well as the reduction of pres sure in the boiler causes a considerable proportion'of water initially liquid in the boiler to be evaporated, carried over as steam and condensed in the receiver as distilled water of the highest grade for refilling and also preserving the water in the receiver at the highest practicable temperature for refilling the boiler.'

According to the present invention after pressure in the boiler has been reduced to atmospheric, the remaining water in the boiler with thesediment therein is withdrawn through the wash-out plugs 23 or the blow-0E valves 18 carrying with it the sediment and scale which is run to waste. The boiler is then washed out through the openings provided by the removal of plugs 23 using the hot water in the receiver tempered by as much cold water as is necessary to reduce the temperature to that at which the wash-out pipe can be handled by the attendants. After the boiler has been-washed and. plugs 23 replaced, the hot water from .the receiver is returned to the boiler by means of pum 11.

It is found ,ly the practice of the present ameyse invention that substantially one-third of the water present in the locomotive When delivered for servicing is recovered as distilled water thus providing a large quantity of water of the finest character for refilling the locomotive boiler, entirely freed of hardness or scale forming elements as well as soluble salts which cause foaming or priming. The process of the present invention has particular value when used in oil. fired locomotives which have a large amouht of refractory material as linings in their fire boxes, which refractory material under former practice must be allowed to cool down with consequent delay and loss of heat units before the locomotive could be cleaned. It is also found that the'locomotive can be placed in service in considerable less time without damage to the sheets of the boiler by the practice of the present invention than by the practice of former methods.

Minor changes may be made in the steps of the process within the scope of the appended claim without departing from its spirit.

I claim:

The method of cleaning a locomotive boiler and supplying water to refill the same comprising discharging thesteam from the locomotive initially at substantially work ing pressure of the locomotive from a point above the water level ,of the locomotive boiler, into a container at substantiall atmospheric pressure without the addition of water to the steam prior to its delivery into said container, with consequent evaporation and dischar e as steam of a portion of the water initia 1' liquid in the boiler, discharging sediment, and the remaining water from the boiler by gravity at substantially atmospheric pressure and utilizing the stored hot water of condensation at the temperature found in the container in refilling the boiler.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signsture.

CHARLES W, STURDEVANE. 

